


Febuwhump 2021 Collection

by sodaschemes



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017), LEGO Monkie Kid, Lego Ninjago
Genre: Angst, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, FebuWhump2021, Violence, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:06:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 9,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29195022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sodaschemes/pseuds/sodaschemes
Summary: A collection of the fics I wrote for Febuwhump 2021! Some days will be missing, not because I didn't do them, but because they're part of larger works and will be included in other places. Specific warnings will come at the beginning of each chapter.
Comments: 18
Kudos: 25





	1. Day 1: Mind Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay comes into possession of a remote that can control Zane, and has a little too much fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one takes place during that one episode of the Wu's Teas miniseries!  
> Trigger Warnings: loss of bodily autonomy, dehumanization, mind control

It started innocently enough.

Jay was feeling lazy, and Zane liked doing chores, and he was already  _ doing _ them, so it really shouldn’t have been that big of a deal when he asked for help doing his own.

Zane had been annoyed enough with him to begin a whole rant, which Jay had nearly completely tuned out. Until he realized that not only was the new universal remote they’d purchased good for controlling the TV, but it was also good for controlling  _ Zane _ .

“Oh I’m  _ sorry _ ,” Jay had said obnoxiously, “I missed that. You were saying something?” he asked, pointing the remote directly at his brother and clicking one of the controls.

Zane’s entire body seized for a moment, going stiff. 

“Wh—what are you doing?” he demanded, voice glitching slightly. 

Jay laughed a little to himself, directing Zane to begin shelving the various boxes of teas.

His protests fell on deaf ears, Jay watching in fascination as Zane’s body obeyed every command it was given.  _ Despite _ the fact that he was still demanding to be released.

“ _ Cool _ ,” Jay muttered, playing around with the remote some more as Zane continued to clean.

“Stop it!” Zane begged. Jay rolled his eyes. A little extra chores never hurt anybody, and  _ Jay _ was certainly amused.

“Oh, what’s this?” Jay asked rhetorically. “A mute button!”

“Wait,  _ no _ —!”

“Muted,” Jay said gleefully. “Love me some peace and quiet.”

He was finding that it was almost hard to take his eyes off of Zane as he silently worked, unable to pull away from whatever task he assigned to him. It wasn’t often that Jay was in charge of things, but now that he was, it was taking every bit of his attention.

The TV was naught but background noise now, droning on somewhere distantly in the back of Jay’s mind.

This was ridiculously fun.

Zane’s breathing began to pick up, but Jay easily discarded it. It was probably just from all the exertion. It was  _ fine _ , he wouldn’t push him to the point of breaking. Besides, with Zane doing chores, they could go home sooner!

But “going home” was rapidly falling down Jay’s to-do list for the night.

There were so many things he could try. So many tests to run. To how far of an extent did the remote give him control? Could he make Zane use his ice? Could Zane break out of it?

He wanted to find out  _ everything _ .

Before he knew it, the chores were done, and Zane’s breathing was going incredibly erratic. He was looking at Jay with pleading eyes, begging even without his voice to be released from the remote. It kind of looked like he was about to cry.

Jay resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It was  _ fine _ , Zane just needed to chill.

Something tickled Jay’s nose, and he sneezed violently, dropping the remote in the process. The batteries fell out, and though he gasped, grabbing for it, he was too late.

Zane stood above him, glaring at him coldly.

“Okay, we were just having a little fun!” Jay said, laughing nervously. “That was fun, right? And look at the bright side, our chores are done!”

Zane, face twitching with the force of his scowl, said nothing (to be perfectly honest, Jay wasn’t even sure if he  _ could _ say anything right now). Instead, he just raised a hand, freezing Jay to the spot with his ice.

Jay gasped at the cold, and he would have been shaking, could he move. “Shit!”

Zane quite literally looked ready to maim him on the spot.

“Zane, buddy, come on!” he said, doing his best to reason with him. “It’s not a big deal!”

“How dare you,” Zane said, a quiet rage that was almost scarier than Kai’s  _ explosive _ type. “I thought you of  _ all people _ would understand — I can’t believe you!”

“Listen, man, I’m sorry—”

“No! That’s not enough! I deserve more than a half-hearted apology!” he took a few deep breaths, trying to collect himself. 

“You’ve  _ never  _ been taken over like that,” he continued, his voice much softer now. “You don’t have to live every day of your life in fear of that happening. And it’s not an  _ unfounded _ fear, Jay. People have  _ done things _ to me. Forced me to do things I didn’t want to. Bad things. Not just  _ chores _ .”

Jay had completely forgotten about…  _ all _ of that, actually. He’d been so caught up in the sudden euphoria that he hadn’t even considered any of it.

“I’m sorry…” he repeated, trying to make himself sound more sincere this time. Even if his mind was still racing from all that excitement, he needed to at least  _ seem _ like a decent person here. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“No,” Zane agreed. “You  _ weren’t _ .”

Zane didn’t unfreeze him, and Jay was a little too afraid to ask. He’d  _ really _ pissed Zane off. Even if it  _ had _ been for science. Obviously.

At least, that was what he would say if prompted.

He couldn’t help how much he wanted to be in control. It was so  _ fun _ , and people  _ never _ did what he said otherwise, and he just… liked it. Yeah.

But later that night, as Jay laid in bed, he still couldn’t get his mind off of it. He wanted to have that remote again. Did that make him a bad person? It didn’t, did it? He couldn’t tell.

Was it bad that he was beginning not to care if it did or not?


	2. Day 2: "I Can't Take This Anymore"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trapped on the Misfortune's Keep, Jay has to find the strength not to give up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings: mentions of starvation and dehydration, mentions of torture, brief suicidal ideation, kidnapping

Jay cried out as he was thrown to the ground again, his body crashing against the wood painfully.

They were never finished with their fun. Scrap ‘N’ Tap was never really over. Day after day, night after night. Whenever they got bored. Whenever Jay seemed a little too far from miserable. Whenever they fucking  _ felt _ like it.

He was getting tired.

It had been — shit, how long  _ had _ it been? At least a week. Maybe a little bit more. They barely kept him alive. He was fed once a day, with a singular bottle of water to go with it each time. Even when he was finally allowed to sleep, he usually couldn’t.

Too much pain. Too much pain.

It was all  _ too much _ . He wanted to go home. He wanted to be with his  _ real  _ parents, at the junkyard. He wanted to be able to really and truly apologize to his friends. Those that  _ remained _ , at least.

Nadakhan taunted him with the fact that some of them were trapped inside his hell sword a little too often for Jay’s liking.

The stress of it all was building up, and Jay didn’t know how long he was going to last.

In the week or so he’d been here, he’d cried in front of the crew enough to last a lifetime. Having  _ them _ around always made it worse.

Back home, it was easy for one of the ninja (or all of them, if he was being honest) to bottle up and shove down their feelings. It was easy, it was common, and they all tried to get each other to open up all the time. Do as one said, not as they did, after all. But when one of them eventually broke, and finally spilled all of their hurt into the real and tangible world, the others were there for them.

They comforted their family. They never made them feel bad for the pain they were harboring. Crying was good, they always told each other. It was healthy. It was proof that they were human.

The crew of Misfortune’s Keep were a little less understanding.

They laughed at Jay when he cried. They laughed, they mocked him. They liked to start rounds of Scrap ‘N’ Tap at moments like that, because they thought it was funny. They loved how vulnerable he was.

Jay hated that he was getting tired. 

Ninja never quit. He had friends to rescue, friends to  _ save _ . They had a whole  _ world _ to save. The idea of it only exhausted him more.

He was so tired.

He didn’t have the energy to try anymore. He wanted to be enough. But he’d always been the weakest, physically, of the ninja. He didn’t know why he was surprised.

A small part of him sometimes wanted to step off the ship and plummet into the water below. Drowning didn’t sound like such a bad way to go. Especially not when compared to the circumstances he’d been forced into.

Perhaps the merciless ocean could be merciful.

He’d never know.

He was a coward, through and through. Whatever had happened to him? He used to be so brave. Whatever had made him entitled with Nya, cocky with Nadakhan, and embarrassed of his parents. It had infected him, turned him inside out little by little.

Who  _ was _ he? What had ruined him like this?

He needed to make things right. As much as he just couldn’t fucking  _ take  _ this anymore, giving up would only make it all so much worse.

So he had to power through.

Retribution for what he had become would come after the world was saved.


	3. Day 4: Impaling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the mountain top, Wukong arrives just a few moments later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings: mentions of past abuse, violence, blood, stabbing, death threats

MK was so stupid.

He was so,  _ so _ outrageously stupid.

He wheezed out a pained cry as he was pinned to the mountain by his own staff, holding him down tightly. 

Macaque looked at him, eyes glowing purple. “Thank you,” he said, smirking, “for giving me  _ all _ of Monkey King’s power.”

MK forced himself to stay calm, shoving that horrifying thought to the side and instead focusing on trying to free himself. He couldn’t move.

He struggled against the staff, grunting when it didn’t budge.

“Oh  _ no _ , can’t you hold the magic  _ staff _ anymore?” Macaque asked, laughing horribly. “Well, you know what that means!” he continued, looming over MK. “There really isn’t anything special about you.”

With that, Macaque was right up in front of him, shoving the staff against MK’s body even harder and causing him to cry out again, gasping for breath.

“You’re just some kid with a heavy stick,” Macaque said, face inches from MK’s own. 

MK was doing his very best not to show just how terrified he was, but it was proving more and more difficult by the second. He couldn’t  _ move _ , Macaque had  _ all _ of Monkey King’s power, and it was all. His. Fault.

Because he was so fucking stupid.

He didn’t know why he’d been chosen in the first place. Why  _ he’d _ been deemed as worthy. He wasn’t. Macaque was right, he was just a dumb kid who’d only gotten this far because he was lucky. There was no other explanation for it.

“I owe you one, really,” Macaque smirked, “I could never have been able to kill Wukong without your help.”

“No!” MK begged, fighting with every last bit of himself. It didn’t get him far.

“ _ Yes _ ,” he hissed. “I might even keep you alive until then so you can see it happen. But, then again…” he pulled out his own staff, and without any further warning, the spiky end of it was shoved through… something. MK really couldn’t pinpoint it. He’d squeezed his eyes shut, and then pain had  _ exploded _ all across his body.

He screamed. All he could feel was pain, the worst he’d ever felt in his life. Worse than the volcano, worse than anything DBK had ever done to him, worse than what even his own father had done.

He spit out blood, the taste so aggressively copper-like. He could distantly feel that he was crying.

“ _ Enough! _ ” came an enraged shout, the ground shaking, dust momentarily blinding them both.

“Monkey King,” MK choked out in relief as the air cleared.

Macaque grinned darkly, ripping his staff away from MK, who screamed in shocked pain at the removal. The blood was really flowing, now that there was nothing to stop it.

“Monkey King!” Macaque echoed, an obnoxiously fake smile on his face. “Good to see you,  _ bud _ !”

MK didn’t really register a lot of the following events. There was a fight. A big one. Lots of flashing colors. Gold and purple lighting up the night sky.

His head was too fuzzy to take in more.

He spit up more blood, trying to keep his breathing even. Which he was failing miserably at.

He couldn’t stop sobbing, breath coming in short gasps that only served to make his face go numb with pins and needles. That was probably the least of his problems right now, though.

Monkey King dropped down beside him, lifting the staff away. MK dropped to the ground like a rag-doll.

“Just hold on a little longer, kid,” he said, gearing up to throw himself back into the fight. “You’re gonna be fine.”

And then he was gone again.

MK, vaguely remembering what Pigsy had taught him as of late about injuries and the like, pressed his hands over the wound, shrieking out a wail at the pain that it brought.

The world exploded, golden rays of light casting out the shadows. Debris went  _ everywhere _ , but MK didn’t have the strength to take cover. It was pure  _ luck _ that kept him from getting even more hurt.

“Kid!” Monkey King shouted, running to him and all but ripping off his cape, folding it up and pressing it over MK’s wound. “Hey, hey, deep breaths.”

“It really hurts,” MK whimpered, finally remembering how to breathe. “It hurts — it hurts so bad,” he gasped. “I’m sorry, I’m  _ sorry _ , it’s my fault…”

“You’re gonna be okay,” Monkey King assured as he observed the wound, sounding relieved. “I’ve seen worse. You’re gonna be right as rain.”

“No one — no one says that anymore,” MK said. It sounded pretty pathetic though his heaving breaths and lingering cries.

Monkey King elected to ignore that, carefully picking his successor up. MK stifled a pained cry, doing his best to calm down.

“I know it hurts, I know. But we’ve  _ got _ to get you help.”

“I know,” MK sobbed.

“Come on, bud. You can do this. Let’s go.”


	4. Day 7: Poisoning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nya died. It's hard to forget a thing like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings: death, trauma

Nya was pretty sure she thought about Nadakhan a little too much.

It wasn’t like she could  _ help _ it. He just had this way of worming into her mind. It didn’t even take much.

Zane made this lime flavored jello, once. It had been that  _ exact _ shade of green, and Nya had seized up the moment she saw it.

Jay had escorted her out with the (admittedly poor) excuse that she needed some air.

Nya knew she wasn’t the only one of the ninja who had died before. But they’d both died so  _ heroically _ — Zane had saved  _ everyone _ , and Cole had saved Lloyd. Nya had died the very last thing she’d ever wanted to be. As a stupid damsel in distress.

The poison had hurt like nothing she’d ever felt before. It burned fiercer than the fire of the forge she and her brother had run for so many years. The pull of death had burned, but it had been cold.

She’d tried to accept dying, if it meant Nadakhan would be defeated. But, though she didn’t want to admit it aloud, she’d still tried with every ounce of herself to hold onto life. She didn’t want to die. There were so many things she’d never gotten to do. So much life she hadn’t gotten to live.

And now she was getting to live it all. She had gotten her second chance.

So why did she feel so empty sometimes? Why was she so…  _ off _ ? She should have been leaping at life, now, reveling in each new sunrise. But she wasn’t.

Instead, she felt like a broken clock, cracked and shattered and doing her best to look like she knew what she was doing. To look like she was okay.

She wasn’t okay. She wasn’t, and she  _ hated _ it.

She was supposed to be. The kidnapping, the marriage, the possession, the death… Jay had saved her. And none of it had ever happened.

She flip-flopped between which of those she preferred to tell herself. Technically, both were true. But admitting to one felt like a contradiction to the other.

She didn’t want to be broken. She wanted to keep living life like nothing had ever happened. She wanted to be touched without flinching, to think of weddings as a happy thing again. She wanted so much that her brain just  _ would not let her have _ . She wanted to be more than a damsel in distress. She’d always  _ hated _ the concept of damsels in distress.

She paced back and forth, clenching her fists by her sides. It was all so  _ ridiculous _ . If she’d been given a fourth wish, it would have been to  _ forget _ .

Sometimes she wished that it wasn’t only her and Jay who remembered. It was  _ better _ like that, of course, but… she felt bad that the only people they could confide in were each other. All of that stress was bound to explode eventually. They weren’t equipped to handle their own trauma and tackle each other’s as well.

Sometimes she wanted to tell Kai about it, to have him comfort her like only a big brother could. But then she remembered how  _ broken _ he’d looked when she died.

She couldn’t bare the thought of putting him through that again.

It was for everyone’s own good that they were keeping it a secret. It was.

At least, that’s what she and Jay were telling each other.


	5. Day 9: Buried Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MK has yet another nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings: spiders, nightmares, burying alive

“ **_Goodbye_ ** ,  _ little  _ **_thief_ ** .”

_ MK couldn’t run. Not fast enough. Not from this. _

_ The sky went dark, the sun being blocked out, and try as he might, MK knew what the outcome would be before it even happened. _

_ The mountain came down on him, and the world disappeared, and he didn’t have the mind to breathe. He didn’t think he could. _

_ It was so dark, so cramped, so impossibly horribly inescapable. _

_ Breath coming in short gasps, eyes unadjusted to the complete lack of anything light, the world going fuzzy because he couldn’t  _ **_breathe_ ** _. _

_ Something scuttled across him, and he realized with a sudden horror that it was a spider. Two spiders. Three,  _ **_four_ ** _ , they just kept coming. _

_ He screamed, trying to get away, but the mountain kept him in place, drowning, and he wanted nothing more than to get away. _

He woke up with a gasp, frantically trying to fill his lungs. He was drenched in sweat, worse than even the most intense of training on the hottest of days.

With the same sense of urgency as his spasmed breathing, he untangled himself from his sheets, falling to the floor in the process. He got to his feet, flicking the light on, and stumbled to the bathroom to splash his face with water.

Looking into the mirror, water dripping from his face, he sighed.

Same old nightmare.

It wasn’t a new fear. It was no secret that DBK wanted him dead, and he was terrified that the demon king would find a cruel irony in finishing MK off the same way he’d been trapped for so many years.

Monkey King told him it was nothing to worry about, and he’d tried to take that to heart,  _ really _ , but his brain just wouldn’t listen.

It was always the same stupid nightmare. He just wanted to be able to get a decent night’s rest without waking up with his heart pounding so hard he could have run a marathon. 

On the bright side, he could never fall back asleep after these sorts of dreams, which meant he wouldn’t be late for work.

He may as well have taken a shower now, he supposed. It was going to be a  _ long _ day.


	6. Day 10: "I'm Sorry. I Didn't Know."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Della gets lost in space, it doesn’t take long for Scrooge and Donald to fight about it.  
> Alternate Prompt: "Don't Try to Pin This on Me."

“I can’t believe you!” Donald yelled, pointing an accusing finger at his uncle. “You just  _ let her _ go up there, you  _ let her _ get  _ lost _ !”

“I’m sending up search crews!” Scrooge said defensively. “Don’t think I’m not devoting my every effort to bringing her home!”

“It’s your fault she’s gone in the first place!” 

“Don’t try to pin this on me!” Scrooge yelled, his voice impossibly loud. To anyone else, it would have been intimidating. They would have backed off. But Donald was  _ angry _ , and he wasn’t going to back down so easily.

“ _ You built the rocket! _ ” Donald screamed. “After I told you not to! She has a  _ family _ down here! I’m not letting those kids grow up without their mother!”

“They won’t!” Scrooge argued. “We’ll find her! Della will be fine!”

“ _ And what if she isn’t?! _ ”

“Of course she’ll be! She’s  _ Della _ !” Scrooge said, like it was obvious. “She just has to hang on until we find her!”

Donald laughed bitterly. “Right.  _ We _ . What happened to  _ we _ when you chose to build that stupid rocket behind my back?”

“She wasn’t supposed to know about it until after the kids had come!”

“She shouldn’t have known about it at  _ all _ , because it shouldn’t have  _ happened _ !”

“With an attitude like that, nothing would  _ ever _ be accomplished, son!”   
“Don’t you  _ dare _ call me that!” Donald yelled. “You are  _ not _ my father!”

They glared at each other, the silence encasing them deadly. Scrooge, for the first time in a long,  _ long _ time, gave out first.   
“You have to see reason, Donald,” he sighed. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. But I’m Scrooge McDuck, and you know as well as Della that there’s nothing I would stop at to protect you!”

“I have trouble believing that,” Donald growled, eyes narrowed. “You knew the dangers of the storm. You knew the dangers of the existence of the ship at all! And yet you  _ still _ did it!”

“I’m going to fix it!” Scrooge insisted.

“Great,” Donald grumbled. “You do that.” He turned on his heel, practically stomping towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Scrooge demanded.

“To take care of the kids, Scrooge! With Della gone they have  _ no one _ . Until you clean up this massive fucking mess that  _ you _ made, I’m taking them and we’re  _ leaving _ .”

As he stormed out, Scrooge stayed silent, glaring at him until the door had been slammed behind him.

Had he not been so prideful, maybe things could have been different.


	7. Day 11: Hallucinations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Watching Kai stumble around after being ambushed is only a slight annoyance. Until things get serious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings: mentions of drugs

“Is Kai okay?” Nya asked as the other ninja led her brother onto the Bounty.

“Nope,” Cole replied casually, frowning a little as Kai giggled drunkenly and stumbled into him. “He’s tripping balls.”

“He’s high on venomari venom,” Jay supplied, dragging Kai off of Cole and gently pushing him onto the couch.

“High… bi… frogs…” Kai whispered, before falling into yet another laughing fit.

“Right…” Nya said, her frown deepening.

“Oh, I know this one! Left!” Kai exclaimed, whacking Zane in the face with his…  _ expressive  _ arm movements.

“We’ll explain later,” Cole said.

“You’re back!” Lloyd cried, skidding into the room.

“No!” Kai screeched, “not my back! Anything but that!”

“Uh…” Lloyd glanced at the others, raising a very confused eyebrow at them. “Is he okay?”

“Venomari venom is some powerful stuff,” Jay said, patting Kai on the shoulder as he continued to do… whatever it was he was doing.

“You know what else is powerful?” Kai asked. Despite the lack of reaction from anyone else in the room, he kept going anyway. “ _ Me _ when I become the Green Ninja. Obviously.”

Nya rolled her eyes while the others just sighed. 

“Keep telling yourself that, buddy,” Cole said, standing up and stretching his arms. “I need a shower. The toxic bogs smell like shiiiii…” he trailed off awkwardly, remembering Lloyd was there.

“Like shit?” Lloyd asked.

Jay gasped. “Has Kai been teaching you bad words?”

As they all stared at him, Lloyd could only stare back. “You guys…  _ realize _ I went to school at  _ Darkley’s _ , right? I think I know like, every swear in the book.”

“Yeah? Like what?” Cole challenged.

“Wouldn’t you like to know, you cunt.”

Cole’s jaw dropped, along with everyone else in the room. Besides Kai, of course, because he was… yeah.

“What? You asked,” Lloyd shrugged, heading back for the door. “Anyway, I’m gonna go bother Uncle Wu.”

“I should get Kai to the bedroom,” Nya sighed, helping him to his feet. Kai stumbled along beside her, eyes slipping closed as he murmured about ninja training taking away use for his eyes. Though, high or not, Kai definitely couldn’t get around that well with his eyes closed.

As she got him into bed, praying he would fall asleep and wake up fine again, Kai rolled his head to the side, looking up at her with warm, bright eyes.

“Thanks, mom.”

Nya’s heart stopped.

Oblivious to what was happening, Kai threw himself at her in a hug, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing tight. “Thanks for taking care of me.”

“Kai, I’m not…” Nya shut her eyes, unable to make herself continue. She couldn’t bear to break Kai’s heart, especially in such a vulnerable state.

She hugged him back weakly. “I love you.”

Kai was so blissfully unaware of what he had done. He pulled back, looking her in the face. “I’ve always wanted to hear you say that,” he said, tears gathering in his eyes. “I’ve missed you so much.”

As Nya’s heart broke into a million pieces more, she could only smile sadly. “Me too.”

She couldn’t tell Kai that she wasn’t their mom. She hardly even  _ remembered _ her, but she knew Kai was different. He’d been older when they’d left. He remembered their faces, the things they’d said. He remembered who they were.

Nya only had the stories. 

She silently tucked Kai in, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Get some rest, okay?”

“I will,” he agreed, yawning loudly, his eyes already shut.

Nya watched him for a few moments more, his chest rising and falling peacefully. At least one of them might get a good night’s sleep.


	8. Day 12: "Who Are You?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On an adventure, Huey hits his head.

He woke up with a pounding headache. The rest of his body was in pain, too, but  _ god _ , his head hurt so bad.

There were voices. Lots and  _ lots _ of voices. Very loud ones, too.

“What happened?” he groaned. The moment the words left his mouth, all the voices went silent. He peaked his eyes open, relieved to find that it wasn’t bright. It was rather dark, actually. They were in… some kind of cave?

“Just a little adventuring accident,” an old man in a top hat said. “Are you alright, lad?”

He stared at the man for a moment, his brain blanking.  _ Was _ he alright? Honestly, he didn’t feel much of anything. Other than pain. And confusion. Maybe he  _ wasn’t _ alright.

“Maybe?” he said, taking his best guess. One thing that would  _ definitely _ help him feel better seemed simple enough to figure out, though. “Um, not to sound rude, but… who are you guys?”

The group went dead silent, eyes wide.

“ _ What? _ ” the boy in blue shrieked.

“You mean you don’t remember?” the green-clad one added, nervously fiddling with the string of his hoodie.

“What  _ do _ you remember?” the girl asked.

“I remember… um…” he furrowed his brow. “I don’t know.” That definitely wasn’t right. People were supposed to be able to remember things, weren’t they?

“Oh god,” the old man whispered. “Donald is going to kill me.” he straightened up, looking at… whoever he was supposed to be, who was still on the floor. “Tell me you remember who  _ you  _ are, laddie?”

“I’m…” he glanced down at his shirt, like it might be holding all the answers. “a guy with great taste in fashion?”

“Not at all!” the boy in the blue shirt wailed.

The girl pat him on the back gently in what seemed like an attempt to calm him down.

“You’re Huey,” the one in a hoodie said awkwardly.

Huey tested out the name in his mind, silently mouthing it to himself as if he’d forget it if he didn’t.

“I like it,” he announced after a moment. The others looked relieved, and he liked that too. The boy who had previously been so very distressed was beginning to calm down now, luckily.

“Are you guys twins?” he asked curiously.

The one in green froze, his beak falling open. “Triplets,” he finally said, his answer distant.

“Oh, cool. Is she the third one?” Huey asked, pointing to the girl.

The one in blue began to cry again, burying his face into the girl’s shoulder.

“You’re the third one,” she said, “I’m just… a friend.”

Huey laughed uncomfortably. “Are you sure? I think I’d  _ remember _ if I was a triplet.” Not that he really remembered much of  _ anything _ , but to think that it was possible that he was that close with someone and then just  _ forgetting _ it was so incredibly unsettling. There was no way he was a triplet. He wouldn’t forget something like that.

Wordlessly, the boy in green pulled out a phone, sitting beside Huey and holding up the camera app so both of their faces were visible.

Huey’s eyes widened. They were perfectly identical. Minus the hairstyle and facial expression, at least. 

Which meant he really  _ was _ the third one. Which meant he actually  _ had _ forgotten about the people who he was no doubt closer to than anyone else in the world.

“Oh my god,” he whispered, tears pricking at his eyes. This was just too much. He couldn’t  _ believe  _ it, but the evidence was right in front of his face. He quickly wiped at his eyes, trying to pull himself together. “Um… what are your names?”

“Louie,” the one in green replied. “And, um… that’s Dewey. She’s Webby, our honorary sister. And this is our Great Uncle Scrooge.”

“Nice to… meet you? I guess?” he said, unsure of himself. 

“We can fill him in on the plane,” Scrooge said. “We’ve got to get you to a hospital, the treasure can wait.”

“Treasure?” Huey asked as the girl — er, Webby — helped him to his feet.

“I know you have a lot of questions,” Scrooge said. “And I swear we’ll answer all of them, but first we  _ need _ to get you onto the plane. And then we’ll tell you everything you want to know.”

Huey sighed reluctantly. He wanted to know everything  _ now _ , but he supposed it made  _ sense _ why they had to wait. “Okay,” he mumbled, sighing.

As the people who Huey didn’t recognize (and that was so, _ so _ scary, because sure, it  _ seemed _ pretty legit, the other two boys looked like him and everything, but he didn’t  _ know _ them. He didn’t even know  _ himself _ ) led him down winding passages, his mind continued to reel.

His head really hurt, but that was the least of his worries.   
He didn’t remember putting on this shirt. Did he like this shirt? Was it one of his favorites? Or did he wear it today because he knew he’d be coming to this musty, gross old place?

Dewey (who was his  _ brother _ ), led him by the hand into a huge red cargo plane.

“That was fast,” a stranger sitting in the pilot’s seat commented.

Scrooge went over to talk to him quietly, while the kids showed him around the plane half-heartedly. 

He supposed he’d be pretty bummed too if his brother lost his memory.

Or… he probably would? He didn’t even  _ know _ his brothers. But they seemed pretty worried about him, so maybe they had a good relationship? He hoped they did. They seemed nice.

As he settled into his seat, he removed his hat to see what it looked like, surprised to find a  _ book _ underneath. How did he fit a whole book in his hat?

The others were watching him with bated breath.

“Uh…”

“You know what that is, don’t you?” Webby asked expectantly.

“It’s only the single most important material item to him ever,” Louie mumbled.

“I don’t recognize it,” Huey admitted, running his fingers over the cover. He focused on that instead of the disappointment he would probably face if he looked at them.

He  _ wanted  _ to remember, or at least to feel like he may have cared about this book, but he  _ didn’t _ . None of this meant anything to him. Not the book, not the hat, not the people, not the plane. 

He was just a big empty slate.

“You really like it,” someone finally said. “It’s your favorite book ever.”

“I… see.”

“...don’t worry about it, Hue.”

Huey, despite the massive hole in his mind and the sad ache that came with the lack of recognition of the nickname, gave a tiny, grateful smile in return. 

He didn’t like how unfamiliar he was with everything. This plane scared him. It was huge, full of people he didn’t know. Full of  _ things _ he didn’t know. 

He didn’t know  _ anything  _ anymore. It was terrifying.

He didn’t understand who his family was, or why they had been surrounded by death traps. The only  _ inkling _ of a memory that he could dig up besides the ones he had from the last few minutes was… well, there had to be  _ something _ .

He knew what a plane was. He understood, looking out the window, that they were flying above an ocean. He remembered water.

Water. Something about water gave the tiniest,  _ tiniest  _ tug on his brain. But no matter how hard he thought about it, nothing else would come to him. 

Until they got to a hospital, he would stay blank and empty. Even then, it would probably take a long time, if  _ ever _ , for him to remember. He didn’t know how he knew that.

Maybe he had been smart before all this.

Frustrated, he curled in on himself, wishing he could just disappear. It would probably be better than this. 


	9. Day 13: Hiding Injury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lloyd misses his brothers. He can only hope they feel the same.  
> Alternate Prompt: "Please Come Back"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings: mentioned death

Lloyd hated this.

He hated everything about this so fucking much.

His family had broken apart, shattered into little pieces that he was starting to believe would never be put back together.

Zane was  _ dead _ . How were they supposed to come back from that? Sure, the Overlord had been defeated for a second and final time. But they’d lost one of their own in the process, and that was something that Lloyd knew they would never get over.

He was scared for their future.

Jay and Cole had left on bad terms with each other, and while everyone who was anyone knew what Jay was getting up to these days, Lloyd didn’t have the slightest clue what had become of Cole.

He was worried about him.

He was worried about  _ all _ of them.

Kai had stormed out one day, and nobody had heard anything from him since. Not even Nya, and  _ that _ may have been the most worrying thing of all.

Lloyd’s training had continued even as the team had dwindled down to only him and Nya, but it was  _ hard _ to keep going. He missed his family.

Sure, he had his uncle. He had his parents. Even if his mom and uncle had a really  _ weird _ thing going on, but Lloyd hated thinking about that, so he tried not to. His family, in the biological sense, was mostly complete. Mostly whole.

But his family extended so much farther than blood. Kai, Jay, Cole,  _ Zane _ , they were his brothers. Through thick and thin. 

It had never been this  _ thick _ before.

Not for the first time, Lloyd found himself almost missing the days before he defeated the Overlord the first time. Back when he was younger. The impending doom of having to fight his own father to the death had terrified him day and night, but even then, things had been so much better.

He’d had his uncle. He’d had his father, in a way. Even while evil had coursed through his veins, he still cared. He’d had his brothers. His sister. And… well. He hadn’t had his mother.

He wasn’t entirely sure if he needed her.

Who he needed, for real and certain, was his brothers. But they weren’t around. 

But he’d been pushed past his tipping point, and the only thing he could do now was to beg them to please,  _ please _ come back. 

If he couldn’t convince them, he didn’t know  _ what _ he’d do.


	10. Day 14: "I Didn't Mean It"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following his years as the Ice Emperor, sometimes Zane finds himself slipping into that same old trance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings: strangling, attempted murder

He stared into the boy’s eyes, wide with terror, his grip tight around his neck. His ice was weaker than usual. It was slow, almost calmer than it should have been. Still, bit by bit, it was encasing the traitor all the same. 

_ Nobody  _ crossed the Ice Emperor.

“ _ Zane! _ ” someone shouted, a million miles away. “Stop it!”

Zane gasped, blinking rapidly as he realized that it was  _ Jay _ underneath him. Jay, who looked terrified. Jay, who was nearly covered in  _ Zane’s _ ice. Jay, who he had been aiming to  _ kill _ .

Zane threw himself back, landing on the ground hard. “I—” he stammered, trying to find some excuse. “I…”

“Zane?” Jay asked quietly as Kai began to thaw him. “It’s alright, I’m — I’m fine. You didn’t hurt me.”

“Yes I  _ did _ ,” Zane argued, his hands quickly tangling themselves in his own hair. “I’m  _ sorry _ ,” he whispered, his gaze burning a hole through the ground. “I didn’t mean it, I—”

“It’s  _ okay _ ,” Jay said, moving closer as Kai finally finished melting the ice. Hesitantly, he placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “It was my fault. I startled you, and you just… reacted.”

Zane shook his head. “I would have done it either way.”

“Would you?” Lloyd asked, crossing his arms. “I don’t believe that.”

Zane looked up at him, then looked away again as shame burned through his synthetic skin. For a moment, all was silent.

“I didn’t even recognize you,” he admitted. “I thought I was  _ him _ again, and — and—”

“Deep breaths,” Kai instructed, placing a warm hand on his back opposite Jay. “You’re okay. We’re all okay. We’ll figure this out.”

“I’m a murderer. What is there to figure out, Kai?”

“You were being manipulated and controlled,” Lloyd argued. “ _ Vex _ is the murderer. Not you. And this? I  _ promise  _ you, it’s nothing more than the years of it you were forced through. You  _ will _ break out of it, and we’ll be here every step of the way to help you along.”

“Of course we will!” Jay agreed, smiling softly at Zane in a way that he didn’t deserve. “You’re our brother. We care about you. What Vex forced you to do doesn’t change any of that.”

They all had such high expectations for him. All he could do was let them down. They didn’t understand the threat that he was. The threat he had been molded into in his years of separation from them.

“I’d like to speak with Sensei Wu,” he finally said. 

“Okay,” Kai nodded, hopping to his feet and extending out a hand for Zane to take. “Whatever you want, buddy.”


	11. Day 16: Broken Bones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay breaks his leg. It's not a great time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings: broken bones

Jay wasn’t sure if anyone had actually noticed when he’d faltered, collapsing into a stack of empty boxes as the other ninja chased the bad guys out the door.

Yeah, no one had noticed.

People didn’t tend to notice him very often, after all. Or maybe they had. Maybe the bad guys were just more important.

He tried to sit up, but the shift only shot a burning pain through his leg, and he choked out a cry, looking down to find what was definitely a broken bone.

Shit.

With the building empty, Jay allowed his pained cries to spill out, sobbing as pain radiated through his body. It wasn’t the absolute worst injury in the world, but it was  _ still _ a broken leg, and it hurt like absolute hell.

“You’re fine,” he whispered to himself, trying to be assuring. “It doesn’t even hurt that bad!”

Okay, that wasn’t working.

“Okay, maybe it does hurt pretty badly,” he said, sniffling as tears streamed down his cheeks. “This is fine…”

“Jay!” Cole shouted, vaulting himself over a stack of boxes and running to him, sliding to a stop on his knees. “Are you okay, buddy?”

Cole had noticed. Cole always noticed.

“Not really,” Jay hissed, squeezing his eyes shut.

“The others are taking care of the bad guys, we got them,” he explained, looking over Jay’s leg to assess the damages. “Okay, alright, this doesn’t look too bad. I don’t think the hospital is too far, want me to carry you?”

“Sure,” Jay grunted, doing his best to move closer to his best friend.

“Easy there, I’ve got you,” Cole said, gently picking him up. “Let’s go.”


	12. Day 18: "I Can't See"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dewey just can't see what the truth is. He needs to find it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one takes place in season 1, of course.

_ Mother I am flipping through the past, _

_ Turning pages of a book to find you _

Dewey read over the note again, nearly screaming in frustration. She’d taken the Spear of Selene.  _ What  _ was the Spear? Why had she stolen it? Why had she  _ never _ been heard from again?

_ Mother I am lost, _

_ Mother I am scared, _

_ Mother I don’t know what to do _

He shoved the note under his pillow as the door handle jiggled, Huey and Louie coming in for bed. Maybe he should have told them. Maybe he should have just  _ said it _ .

But he needed to learn the truth. They didn’t need to be involved, they would only… it could only hurt them. If he didn’t make sure it wouldn’t, first. He needed to know that his mother was a good person.

_ What were you trying to say? _

_ Must’ve written it down for a reason, _

_ Must’ve thought I’d find it someday _

His mom  _ couldn’t _ be a bad person. She was  _ good _ , she had to be! But what had that note  _ meant _ ? Obviously, it was a huge deal, or else Scrooge wouldn’t have gone to the lengths he had to hide it all. 

Or else Uncle Donald would have  _ talked _ about her.

Or else Webby would have at least had a  _ file _ on her.

_ Mother you were here, _

_ Mother you are gone, _

_ And you left behind a scared child _

He’d never even met his mom. She’d died… or disappeared, or vanished, or been kidnapped, or  _ something _ !  _ Something _ before he’d even been born! And it wasn’t  _ fair _ !

He wanted nothing more than to know his mother, but the world had taken that chance from him.  _ He just wanted his mom! _

_ Can’t sit around and cry, _

_ There’s too much to lose _

He needed to pull himself together. He and Webby were  _ so close _ to a breakthrough, he just knew it. They would find out what happened to Della Duck, whatever it took. 

_ I seek the truth, _

_ What are you telling me? _

_ I’m ready to hear _

The search with Webby was excruciating. They investigated  _ everything _ . Researching constantly, keeping it a secret from the rest of the family. And it didn’t make him selfish! It  _ didn’t _ ! He just… he couldn’t let anyone get hurt. He would tell them when he found the truth.

_ I’m ready to see, _

_ I need to know who you are, _

_ To know who I am meant to be _

“Whoever your mom was  _ doesn’t  _ define you!” Webby insisted, grabbing Dewey by the shoulders. “She may have been a bad person, she could have been a  _ fantastic _ person! All I know is who  _ you _ are. You’re kind, and good, and whatever we find doesn’t change that.”

Dewey blinked away tears, throwing his arms around her in a hug.

“Thank you,” he whispered as she pulled him closer.

_ Another secret, _

_ And another and another, _

_ At least you were consistent, _

_ Hello father, hello mother _

“How could you keep this from us?” Huey cried.

“I was trying to protect you from a potentially devastating revelation!” Dewey said, defensive.

“Or you just kept it to yourself so you can feel special! Classic Dewey. She’s  _ our mom _ !” he shouted, hurt seeping through his voice. He just couldn’t believe that Dewey would  _ do this _ to them. He could understand small things, but something as big as  _ this _ ? He thought they were in this together!

Huey glared at him as he explained, seeing right through his lousy excuses. “You’re only sorry because you got caught!” he yelled.

Dewey looked away, whether in shame or anger, he didn’t know. But as his eyes widened, Huey’s gaze was drawn in that direction too, and his heart dropped.

Louie had yet to say a  _ word _ .

He was holding their mom’s jacket, eyes full of tears as he looked at it.

“Louie…” Dewey began, his voice suddenly so much softer. “Are you okay?”

“You kept a secret about mom,” Louie said, so  _ broken _ it made Huey want to cry. “That is not okay.”

Huey could have grabbed Dewey by the shoulders and screamed  _ look what you’ve done! _ , but it wouldn’t change what had happened. He shoved his rage down, tears springing to his own eyes as Louie softly began to cry.

“I’m  _ sorry _ ,” Dewey whispered, voice cracking. “I didn’t mean to! It’s just, Webby and I—”

“ _ Webby _ and you?”

Dewey froze, like a deer in headlights. “I — I mean—”

“Webby knows?” Louie asked. Tears now streaming from his eyes, he looked at Dewey, trembling as he waited for an answer.

“Yes,” he whispered.

“I can’t believe you,” Huey grumbled, wrapping an arm around Louie in an attempt to comfort him.

He’d hurt his brothers, that much was clear. He’d… he’d messed up. Big time. But it had been to protect them, it had been for their own good! 

But they didn’t see it that way.

Maybe they were right. Maybe he had done it for his own selfish reasons.

He had to make things right. No matter what it took.

_ I won’t let it go, _

**_I won’t let you go._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song, if anyone was wondering, is I Seek the Truth, an outtake from Frozen 2.


	13. Day 19: Sleep Deprivation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taking care of a blacksmith shop doesn't allow much time for sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Baby Kai was definitely not doing well, okay?

“Kai?” Nya asked, standing in the dark doorway and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Kai jumped, spinning around in his seat. “Hey, Nya,” he said. “You shouldn’t be awake.”

“I couldn’t sleep,” she argued.

Kai would give anything to sleep right now. But he had work to do, and Nya didn’t need to hear about all of that. “Can you try?” he asked. He didn’t have the energy to deal with an energetic sister at this time of night. “Please?”

Nya crossed her arms. “You’re awake! Why can’t I be?”

“I’m… taking care of some stuff,” he said, trying not to sound as frustrated as he was. “If I tell you a story, will you go back to sleep?”

Nya’s eyes lit up. “Yay!” she cried as she ran back to bed.

Kai smiled as he followed her, tucking her in as he began. “Once upon a time, there was a princess. She was smart, and brave, and strong. She dreamed of being a knight.”

As usual, Kai wasn’t able to finish the story before Nya fell asleep. Thank goodness.

“Sleep tight,” he whispered, kissing her forehead and shutting the door quietly behind him as he went back to his seat in the main shop.

He had work to do.

The words blurred on the page under his eyes, hardly making sense to his brain. He  _ had _ to get this done, even with his head spinning like this.

If he didn’t finish tonight, they were screwed. He didn’t have any more  _ time _ .

Inexplicably, his mind wandered back to a time when he had been allowed to just be a kid, before their parents had… vanished. Tears sprung to his eyes.

He missed them so much. 

He didn’t have the  _ time _ to feel sorry for himself, though. It was only making his head hurt worse. He could cry about it later, he just… he had to get this done. Yeah.


	14. Day 20: Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louie isn't really helping the villains. But he's not helping his family either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glomtales, woo-oo

“Hey! Everybody knock it off!” Louie yelled, stepping out of the plane for the first time since the fight had begun.

Everyone froze, looking up at him with wide eyes.

“Louie?” his family asked, hopeful and naive.

“This is  _ not _ the plan,” he continued, ignoring them.

“ _ Louie _ ,” his family grumbled, disappointed in him as they always were. He was surprised they even  _ were _ surprised. They knew better than anyone that he was the  _ evil _ triplet.

“ _ Lad _ , are you… helping them?” Scrooge asked, disbelieving.

Louie could have laughed had he not been so angry. They knew what kind of person he was. They knew he was going to snap eventually. They’d said so themselves all the time in the past.

“That’s right, Scrooge.  _ You _ didn’t win the bet,  _ I _ did!” Glomgold pronounced triumphantly.

“Wait, what?”

“It was I, Flintheart Glomgold, who convinced all the other villains to band together!”

“And it was I, Louie Duck, who convinced them to hand their resources over to Glomgold. Combined, they actually have more money than you. I saved your lives, but…”

“Glomgold wins the bet,” Scrooge whispered.

Louie held back a smile.

“I won the bet  _ and _ your company!” Glomgold cried, “with a scheme sorted out by your own nephew!” he said, hugging Louie uncomfortably close. “Or should I say,  _ my new partner _ . And now that I have your money, and your money, I don’t need any of you!” Glomgold said, diving into Don Karnage’s chest of gold. “I am the richest duck in the world! I am unstoppable! I am Flintheart Glomgold!”

Louie couldn’t hold his laughter in any longer, his laugh overtaking even the psycho bathing in coins. “Yup,” he said, “ _ Flintheart Glomgold _ won. His name  _ is _ on all the paperwork. Only, your name’s  _ not  _ really Flintheart Glomgold. It’s…”

“Duke Baloney!” both Scrooge and Glomgold gasped in near unison.

“Flintheart Glomgold is a fake identity. So all your money, all your money, and all  _ your _ money, goes to your  _ new  _ partner, who is…” he pulled out the contract, just to be petty. “Hold on one sec, just let me check right here… oh right!  _ Me _ . Always read the fine print, trademark Louie Duck,” he said with a smirk.

The villains, as expected, turned on Glomgold, chasing him to legitimately jump off the side of the cliff (while slamming into a ledge on the way down, which  _ had _ to hurt), making their own getaway moments after.

Which just left Louie and the McDuck family.

“Now all  _ you _ have to do is turn the new company over to Scrooge, and everything will go back to normal!” Della said.

Right.  _ Normal _ . Back to a life where he wouldn’t be appreciated. Back to a life where Uncle Donald wasn’t here, where some woman he’d barely known for a month could boss him around, where people thought  _ nothing _ of him, where he  _ was _ nothing. A life where he got locked up in his room while his so-called  _ family _ went on the one adventure he’d longed to go on for years.

No thank you.

“Nah,” Louie said, his hands in his pockets.

Della and Scrooge looked at each other in what seemed to be confusion. “What?” Della finally asked, looking at him like he’d grown a second head.

“Your family, your problem,” he shrugged.

“You’re part of this family too, young man!”

“Oh, am I? Because I seem to recall  _ you _ telling me I  _ wasn’t _ .”

“Don’t be daft, lad, why would your mother say that?” Scrooge asked.

“Because my plans, my schemes,” Louie said, quoting the video Della had left for him. “They only lead to  _ bad things _ for my  _ family _ . And if I want to be a  _ part  _ of this  _ family _ , I’ve got to  _ stop _ .”

Della averted his gaze, looking awkwardly at the ground. “It sounds… a lot harsher, when you say it.”

Louie glared at her. “I’ve made my choice. I’m not giving up who I am so I can please  _ you _ .”

“I’m not telling you to give up who you  _ are, _ Louie,” she said. She sounded annoyed.

“You don’t know me!” he yelled. “And you  _ certainly _ haven’t earned the right to tell me what to do!”

“I am your mother!”

“You forfeited that the day you got on that rocket!”

“Break it up!” Scrooge demanded, stepping between them.

“Gladly,” Louie said, taking a step back. “I have to go take care of  _ my  _ business as the new richest duck in the world.”

“You’re not — we are not finished here!” Della yelled, desperately trying to find any type of foothold.

“I think we are,” Louie replied easily.

And if his so-called family counted this as a betrayal? Well, that wasn’t his problem anymore.


	15. Day 21: Torture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lloyd's powers are being drained.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one takes place in season 3!  
> Trigger Warnings: torture, death mention.

Lloyd could barely stand. His power was being drained, leaving him with his knees buckling, holding himself up by will alone. Because ninja never quit. And though it seemed hopeless, he could  _ not _ quit now.

“Soon, you will be utterly powerless,” The Overlord rasped, “And I… I will escape this digital prison and become whole, and  _ nothing _ will stop me from becoming the Golden Master!”

His father was gone. His friends… well, he could only hope they were still okay. And Lloyd? He was all alone.

One of his legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor with a pained gasp, tears pricking at his eyes as he landed. 

Being drained like this, being squeezed dry, it didn’t leave him tired in a normal sense. It was a deep, spiritual kind of exhaustion, like his very life force was leaving him.

Ninja. Never. Quit.

He wasn’t quitting, he just… he couldn’t keep standing. He couldn’t. 

Everything hurt.

The transference was almost complete, and what chance would they have if it went all the way through? Lloyd could be drained to the point of death. The Overlord would kill his friends. His family. The world would plunge into darkness, and it would be all his fault.

He couldn’t allow this to happen.

“I am not alone,” he whispered, even as tears fell from his eyes. He kept his voice as steady as it could be. “I am  _ not _ alone…”

He would never be alone. His family was with him, if not in person, in spirit.

He could do this. He could do this…

He could… do… this…


	16. Day 22: Burned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai is chained up, and Pythor wasn't lying when he said he would barbecue him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another season 3 fic!  
> Trigger Warnings: burning

Kai grunted through the gag, kicking his legs and swinging his body back and forth as he tried to escape. Not that there was a high chance of that — there were nindroids everywhere, and  _ Pythor _ , that rotten snake, was approaching fast.

“I hope you like barbecue. We’re about to have one!” Pythor said, smug.

Kai attempted to kick him, but he was  _ just _ out of reach, and he went swinging once again.

“One barbecued ninja, well done,  _ please _ .”

That obnoxious, sick  _ prick _ .

Had he not been  _ gagged _ , he would have spit out a very long string of curses that, if Lloyd or Nya asked in the future, he did not know. Those two were practically infants, after all.

Kai glared at him, shouting through the gag anyway. After all the fights Pythor had lost, he really thought he could get rid of one of the ninja by chaining him up under a rocket?  _ Please _ , not only was it just too stupid, but fire was his element. There was no way it could  _ actually _ kill him.

“Ninja!” One of the nindroids shouted, pointing up at the rocket.

If Kai wasn’t in increasing pain from the way he’d been chained (his shoulders felt like they were going to  _ snap _ ), he would have probably sighed in relief.

They were going for the launch key, thank goodness. 

But the nindroids were overwhelming them  _ fast _ , and Kai couldn’t do anything if he tried. As much as he hated it, all he could do was watch.

“T-minus: 10,” a robotic voice announced.

Oh shit. That was  _ not  _ good.

“9.”

He began to struggle again, praying to the First Spinjitzu Master that fire really  _ couldn’t  _ kill him.

“8.”

He shouted through the gag, hoping one of his friends would get to him in time.

“7.”

Jay ran to him, fast as the lightning he possessed.

“6.”

“I’ve got you!” He said, snatching the gag off as he began fiddling with the chains.

“5.”

“‘Get me’  _ faster _ !” Kai cried.

“4.”

“I’m  _ trying _ ! Chains are strong, you know.”

“3.”

The lock broke, and Kai dropped to the floor.

“2.”

“Go go go!” Jay insisted, rushing out of range of the rocket.

Kai moved to follow him, but he was stopped short,  _ just _ outside of the part where the fire would come out (sue him, he didn’t know  _ rocket _ terminology).

What he  _ did _ know was that the fire, even if only a little bit, would still hit him if he couldn’t move any further.

The chain on his other arm was still connected, and he couldn’t get away.

“1.”

The fire came to life, and pain pain pain  _ painpainpain _ seared through his arm, worse than any other burn he’d ever endured. It was a burn from the forge a thousand times over, stabbing and screaming and  _ oh fuck fuck fuck _ .

He could hardly hear anything over the sound of his own screaming.

His throat hurt from it. His throat hurt, his arm hurt,  _ everything hurt _ .

He went flying, suddenly, the chain snapping. Kai crashed into Jay, who had run to help him again, and they landed in a heap on the floor.

On some level, Kai registered the tears staining his mask.

“First master,” Jay was repeating, panicked and horrified. “ _ Kai _ , holy shit, I’m so sorry, this is my fault, I—”

Kai, the pain sending an awful fuzz through his brain, didn’t hear the rest.


	17. Day 25: Car Accident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The parents die in a car wreck. The children survive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another baby Kai and Nya fic! This one is an AU where their parents die in a car accident.  
> Trigger Warnings: death

The children were crying.

The car was smashed in, smoke pouring out.

The firemen pulled the crying children from the car.

“Mommy!” the boy screamed, reaching for the car blindly. “ _ Mommy! _ ”

He held the boy tight, even as he began kicking and screaming. The girl was younger. Confused. Crying.

“It will be okay, little one,” the fireman said, doing his best to calm him. He couldn’t imagine he’d have much luck. The crash had been brutal. The parents were dead.

The girl didn’t scream. Just looked at the rescue team with watery eyes.

They passed the kids off to the others at the ambulance. Went back to the car. Observed the damage.

Dead. Both dead. The kids were the only survivors.

Kai screamed.

Nya cried.


	18. Day 27: "I Wish I Had Never Given You a Chance"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red Son lied to MK. He doesn't know why he's surprised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no context tbh.

“You lied to me.”

A quiet accusation. He was still processing it. Still trying to find some shred of hope that it wasn’t true. Begging to be corrected. Begging to be told that  _ no, I didn’t _ .

Red opened his mouth, closed it again. Looked down. Closed his eyes. Took a breath. Looked at MK again.

“MK—”

MK cut him off. “You’re not denying it!”

“I did!” Red Son admitted, throwing his hands in the air. “But it’s not like that. Not anymore.”

MK could hear only the insincerity, laced in his voice like poison. His gaze hardened, turned to stone. “Get out.”

“Let me explain!”

“No!” MK yelled. “You had your chance!”

And it’s true, he had. It had been hanging between them for hours, and not once had Red made any attempt to tell the truth.

He couldn’t believe he’d actually  _ thought _ …

He’d thought Red Son had changed. He really had. And these last few months had been so  _ wonderful _ — but they were a lie. A stupid, stupid  _ lie _ .

And MK had fallen for it.

“I’m  _ sorry _ !” Red cried, refusing to go. “Noodle Boy,  _ MK _ , I love you. I do. That was never a lie.”

MK didn’t care. Because he couldn’t trust Red Son, because it had all been a lie, and those words, those  _ stupid _ words, had been fake. 

MK glared at him. “I wish I had never given you a chance.”

The tiny flame of hope in Red’s eyes went out, plunging into a kind of darkness unfamiliar to MK.

“Now get. Out.”

He placed a hand up by his ear, a silent threat. He’d fight the demon if he needed to.

“I’m not leaving you.”

The staff materialized in his hand.

“We’re doing this the hard way, then.”


End file.
